Earl and Brian Hebner talk screwjob, Vince, Bret, and more

Arda Ocal and Jimmy Korderas recently caught up with Earl & Brian Hebner in PART II of Right After Wrestling’s “Referee Series”. Highlights:

– Brian used to ride with Jimmy and Tony Chimel : “(that was) the best time of my career in this business!”

– Earlâ€™s debut in the WWE was in 1988 on Saturday Nights Main Event during the legendary ‘Twin referee’ spot against Andre the Giant. “(Brian) I was actually confused when I saw dad on TV. I was actually convincing myself that it was my uncle (Dave). He called me earlier in the day and sai ‘do me a favour, watch WWE tonight’”

Earl Hebner on kayfabe – “I was always a secretive man. I never gave away nothing. Never told anybody nothing. And if I didnâ€™t tell my son, then you knew I wasnâ€™t going to tell anybody anything. Kayfabe is long-gone! It doesnâ€™t even exist anymore. Years ago (when I first started) kayfabe was a â€˜golden wordâ€™ in this business – and it no longer means anything anymore”

Brian Hebner on kayfabe – “My dad has kayfabed me in a good way throughout this business, my whole entire career, which I do to my son/kids all the time. ”

Earl Hebner – When Vince (McMahon) announced that wrestling was entertainment, that sort of thing took the business down. He (Vince) made it a soap-opera instead of it being the wrestling business.

Earl Hebner on the Montreal Screwjob – “When people ask if I â€˜screwed Bretâ€™, I say â€˜ya damn right I did! When I was walking to that ring, I was thinking Bret wasnâ€™t screwing Vince, he was screwing everybody in that dressing room. I didnâ€™t do it for Vince (McMahon) I did it for all the boys in the lockerroom – for everybody that ever put him over in that ring.”

Brian Hebner on the Montreal Screwjob – “My dad did what he did because he wanted to protect the company and the people he worked with/for”

Earl Hebner on reconciling with Bret (years) afterwards – He saw me and said I know you did what you had to do and Iâ€™m no longer mad at you. I said â€˜thank youâ€™ to him and that was that.

Earl Hebner on ref bumps (specifically in TNA) – When you get bumped, it hurts. Iâ€™m 62 years old and Iâ€™m not the same guy I used to be and it kills me. I donâ€™t wanna be bumped by anybody – it kills me, it hurts me.

Brian Hebner on ref bumps – Iâ€™m very instrumental on the ref-bumps that I take. We (Jimmy & Brian) had a book of bumps that we could take.

Brian on being a Hebner – “I always wanna be known as Earl Hebnerâ€™s son because thereâ€™s no shame in that. But I donâ€™t wanna just be known as Earl Hebnerâ€™s son. I knew I was in a (ref) spot because of my dad, but I also knew I was in that spot because of what I could bring to the table”

Brian has a son (Trevor) who is coming up and will be the â€˜next-generationâ€™ Hebner in professional wrestling.

Find Brian Hebner on Twitter @babyhebner

Earl & Brian Hebner also touch on the art of the ref bump, and offers Jimmy a job, selling t-shirts, the brotherhood of referees, the bromance between Jimmy & Earl + so much more!